History/Mission

Guadalupe Center & Early Education from guadalupecenter on Vimeo

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the founding of the Guadalupe Center. What started as a vision to address the immediate needs of feeding and clothing the hungry has evolved into a group of programs and services that are specifically designed to break the cycle of poverty for the children and families of Immokalee.

In 1982, a group of concerned citizens bonded over the plight of the poor and impoverished in Immokalee and sought to do something about it. The group raised over $200,000 — enough money to open a volunteer-run Soup Kitchen and help feed and clothe the poor.  As this group began to serve the community, they noticed a number of gaps in services that they quickly began to provide including: child care for the working poor, educational tutoring for school-age children, and a Thanksgiving in the Park celebration that epitomizes the thankfulness of community.

In the early 1990’s, the Guadalupe Center’s Board of Trustees undertook a strategic visioning initiative where they sought to

identify programs that were powerful enough to break the vicious cycle of poverty in Immokalee. It was determined that to have an impact on poverty, programs needed to start with the youngest children and an educational pipeline was needed that provided support from cradle to career.  As a result of this process the Board fashioned their mission to “break the cycle of poverty by providing educational, social, and other support programs and resources” for the children and families of Immokalee.

In an effort to realize this mission, the Board and staff began the fundraising process to develop its educational programs and to expand its facilities.  This expansion phase included serving additional children in educational programs like the Guadalupe After-school Program (G-A-P) and the summer learning program. Social and support services including the Back-to-School Shoe Program and the Holiday Gift Shop were started.  It also marked the purchase of its first Early Childhood Education (ECE) Center, the Jim Near Building.  The Center began pairing a robust set of educational services and programs with wrap-around social services that began to equip the whole child — socially, emotionally, and educationally.

As these programs grew in success and in number, the Guadalupe Center continued to grow in an effort to fulfill its mission.  A new Early Childhood Education Center was constructed that allows the center to educate over 250 children a day. New programs were also added. The Tutor Corps program was developed to address the challenges that high school students encounter in Immokalee. This program is dedicated to seeing children succeed through high school, enter college and complete their college education.

“Today, the Guadalupe Center is continuing its mission in large part due to a community that has embraced our work,” said Barbara Oppenheim, president of the Guadalupe Center.  “From Hideaway Beach to Port Royal, from Fiddlers Creek to Bonita Bay, from Grey Oaks to Pelican Landing, from the United Way to the Naples Children & Education Foundation, and all the other countless communities, individuals, and corporations too numerous to thank, we couldn’t have done it without you!”

The Guadalupe Center is now the largest single-sight provider of Early Childhood Educational services; serves over 650 children in its After-school and Summer Programs; employs 62 high school students in the Tutor Corps and has over 80 children currently in college. The Guadalupe Center’s endeavors over the years can be seen on the proud faces of its children, families, and supporters.  The Guadalupe Center has a 30-year track record of success and has helped countless numbers of Immokalee children throughout the years.

“We are proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved over the past 30 years, but we are far from finished,” states Roger Vasey, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “With our dedicated Board members, our determined staff, and our steadfast volunteers, we are looking to even greater results as we seek to break the cycle of poverty through education in Immokalee.”